This invention relates to electrochemical cells. More particularly, it is concerned with primary electrochemical cells having an oxidizable active anode material, a cathode current collector, and an electrolytic solution comprising a reducible liquid cathode material and an electrolyte solute dissolved therein.
A particularly effective class of primary electrochemical cells which employs soluble or liquid cathode materials, as opposed to the more conventional solid cathode cells, has undergone rapid development in recent years. In these cells, the active cathode material is usually a fluid solvent for an electrolyte solute which provides conductivity. The active anode of the cells is usually lithium or other highly electropositive metal. During discharge the solvent is electrochemically reduced on a cathode current collector to yield ions, e.g. halide ions, which react with positive metal ions from the anode to form insoluble metal salts, e.g. metal halides.
A wide variety of materials have been employed to make up cathode current collectors. Improved cathode current collectors and methods of making them are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,443 to Keith A. Klinedinst and Francis G. Murphy and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,593 to Keith A. Klinedinst.